Oddsmakers are making it clear: Fernando Mendoza is going No. 1 overall in April’s NFL Draft.
The Indiana quarterback is a -8000 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to be the first player off the board in the upcoming NFL Draft.
The implied odds on that number reflect a 98.77 percent chance that rings true.
As recently as Tuesday, Mendoza was a heavy but not nearly guaranteed -1000 favorite go at the top of the draft.
The major odds shift comes after Oregon quarterback Dante Moore decided to return to Eugene on Wednesday rather than enter the draft this year.
Moore, who is entering his junior season with the Ducks, was a fellow contender to go No. 1 overall.
The Moore decision is bad news for the quarterback-needy Jets, who are currently set to pick at No. 2.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Mississippi’s Trinidad Chambliss now move to the top of the quarterback board behind Mendoza, although neither of those signal-callers is considered to be on the same level as the Hoosiers’ Heisman winner.
Chambliss currently has the second-best odds to go first in the draft at +3000.
Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. (+6000) and Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese (+6000) are the only other prospects with odds better than 100/1.
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Barring a trade, the Raiders will select at No. 1, and are likely to be in the market for a quarterback after the Geno Smith experiment went sideways this season.
Mendoza has burst onto the scene at Indiana, which has yet to lose a game this season, after transferring from California before the year. He’s thrown for 3,349 yards with 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
He and the Hoosiers will play for the College Football Playoff National Championship against Miami in South Florida on Monday night.
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
